Hello once again my dearies. There have
been a few neat changes in my neck of the woods. I among several
others have a whole new work schedule which so far is not only making
me significantly happier, but also restoring my productivity. It's
creepy how much more one can accomplish when they don't need to jack
their natural sleep schedule outta whack every weekend. What this
means for you all is my butt is working on a wave of new articles for
here and elsewhere.
Today I'd like to start up a limited
series of posts based on the “my life in film” challenge. I first
encountered this years ago on dvdactive.com. The basics of the
project are pretty simple. Look at every year of your life and figure
out your favorite film per year. Ties are allowed in special
situations but it's best to aim for one above all others.
The notion of picking a favorite flick
for every year of life sounds easy, right? You'd be amazed at the
range of difficulty that comes with this undertaking. Some years are
nice and easy with a huge personal favorite standing out above the
pack. Other years require a fine toothed comb just to find a movie
you simply enjoy. Possibly the worst are those special years with
tons of classics all competing for attention. Thankfully through the
course of study it's easy to come across cool flicks you might have
missed. With the rules outta the way let's take a look at the first
five years of my life in film.
1985: Honestly......a little bit of
everything but probably Silver Bullet.
Rather fittingly for the year of my
birth, 1985 practically stands as a love letter to my kind of cinema.
There's a crazy number of little favorites from throughout the year
in damn near every genre. Classic cheesy 80s action titles like
Commando, Cobra, and American Ninja. Timeless horror tales
like Return of the Living Dead, Fright Night, Dawn of the Dead,
Re-Animator, and Lifeforce. If you're in the comedy mood
there's Clue and Real Genius, not to mention Back to
the Future. There's even a few gorgeous fantasy stories like
Legend and Ladyhawke.
Before starting this series I thought
of making a single post about the scope of 1985. Looking at that list
of titles above reveals so much of what mattered to me as a child
such as musclebound action stars, gory creature features, and wild
ideas. Essentially the whole year shaped my views of what
entertainment should be which means picking a top dog is an almost
impossible task. I mean ties are allowed but some kind of 10-way tie
is clearly going overboard.
Of all the big and little classics of
the year the one that I come back to more than any other is
strangely, Silver Bullet. Yeah I'm talking about the Corey
Haim, Gary Busey small town werewolf movie based off a Stephen King
novella originally intended as a calendar. Seems like an odd pick
given the range of movies available for me to choose from, doesn't
it?
For the longest time I couldn't quite
explain why this movie matters so much to me. There's certainly
better stuff out there to watch. I think the real reason it has stuck
with me for so long is that I've always been able to personally
relate with the tale in some way or another. As a kid that would be
looking at Marty as another kid who doesn't quite fit into regular
life (it's the way ya feel growing up as a home schooled night owl
with very few friends). As an adult I get to see myself as Red, a guy
who does his parenting as an uncle and suffers from trouble with the
ladies. Combine that with small time charm and a variety of odd side
characters and it all starts to feel like home. Beyond that, this was
a Monstervision favorite of mine growing up. A constant source of
comfort, sort of like a baby blanket in movie form. Very fitting for
the first entry on this list.
1986: Tie between Blue Velvet
and Big Trouble in Little China.
Maybe it seems cheap to proclaim a
tie so early in the list but in this case I really have no choice.
Like 85 before it, 1986 has a fine selection of favorite flicks like
Ferris Bueller, Jason Lives, and Highlander, but above
and beyond all those are essentially my two favorite films of all
time.
Big trouble in Little China has
the nostalgia advantage as it was another tale I watched countless
times on television. Every single element of this movie just works
for me. I love Kurt Russel in the role of Jack Burton, a bullheaded,
arrogant trucker. I love his buddy Wang as a lighthearted romantic
warrior. Lo-Pan is a perfect villainous blend of sinister and
sarcastic. It's pure entertainment through and through. It's hard to
imagine something else competing so strongly for my affection, let
alone in the same year.
I didn't see Blue Velvet until
I was probably sixteen or so. I'd seen and enjoyed David Lynch's work
before so the chance of catching this one Encore or something similar
was impossible to pass up. From frame one I was hooked. The small
town full of mysteries, the positively wacko characters, and possibly
the best damn villain ever put to the screen.
While both movies are completely
different in tone and style, they each illustrate a huge portion of
my world view. I adore adventure, interesting personalities, secrets
just below the surface of normal society. I've always held a
fascination for outlandish concepts along with harsh and cruel
reality. All the more, I've always had a knack for finding myself in
odd situations surrounded by absolute weirdos so both stories feel
comfortably real. If you ever find yourself wondering about the
mindset of this odd guy whose articles you read, just blend these two
films together and you might understand things from my point of view.
1987: The Lost Boys
Now this is something of an easy year
to pick. Granted 1987 did bring us such glories as Predator
and Evil Dead II, but for this guy, nothing beats the bright
neon board walks and overstylized vampires of The Lost Boys.
Another childhood TV fave, Lost
Boys never fails to impress me with it's sheer bounty of style,
comedy, drama, gore, greased up saxophonists, motorcycle races, big
hair, loud music, classic lines, and I could go on for quite a while
at this. Every element of the story is so simple, family moves to
mysterious new town, boy meets girl, other boy makes friends with
eccentric comic store employees, it just keeps layering on itself
like a perfectly balanced horror sandwich. In essence, it's a spooky
tale for all seasons or moods.
1988: Another tie Akira and
Bloodsport
That's right, it's another tie
already. Give me a break, the 80's are looked on fondly for a reason.
Consider that a hardcore action junkie such as myself can look at the
year that gave us Die Hard and pick not just one, but two other
films. Such was the bounty of that decade. I assure you there will be
far less ties once we hit the 90's.
Akira has a history to it. Back
when my family first got cable we made fast friends with the Sci-Fi
channel, which was spelled correctly in those days. Every so often
the network would showcase anime like Robot Carnival, Vampire
Hunter D, and of course the heavy hitter that was Akira.
The first time I saw it I didn't like it. Sure everything looked cool
but the story made zero sense to me, the voice acting was lame (the
original dub with ninja turtles mind you) and damn was it ever gross.
Even so I viewed the movie many more times over the years still
coming away dissatisfied yet willing to watch again for whatever
reason. One day I was lucky enough to catch an airing with the second
dub and suddenly something clicked. I somewhat understood what was
going on for once and I loved it.
For what it lacks in character
development or sensible storytelling, Akira makes up for with
pure balls. It's a massive tale of science run amock, political
intrigue, warfare, human evolution, and disillusioned youth that
somehow squeezes into just over two hours of screen time. Many have
song the praises of the original manga's larger scope and more
concise ending but I say nay. For those guy, the movie is all that
truly matters.
On the other end of the spectrum yet
equally important is one of the essential entries in the Cannon Films
library. We're talking about Bloodsport. A film with narrow
focus, low class, and more fun than a kiddie pool full of jello.
I see no reason to attempt to defend
Bloodsport. It's a delightful experience each and every time.
However, I do want to mention an observation of mine and ask that you
fine readers test my theory on your own time. During a moderate sized
gathering of friends or family, settle in and start watching
Bloodsport. Eventually someone will walk by and comment on
what a dumb movie it is only to then sit and join you. Slowly but
surely, more and more folks will join in much the same manner and
before you know it, there's a whole room of people watching and
having a great time. Everyone on the planet knows this movie is
silly, yet deep down they just want to watch Van-Damme scream and
kick ass.
1989 Bill and Ted's Excellent
Adventure
The end of the 80's was undoubtedly
the decades weakest offering movie wise. From Batman, to
Ghostbusters 2, and even Star Trek V, 1989 was full of
movies that could be a part of your life, just not towering classics.
One feature slowly wormed its way into my bloodstream over the years.
One that happened to mix the time traveling antics of sci-fi with
pure Californian stupidity.
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
was never that big of a deal to me as a kid. I sort of liked it,
would watch it once in a while though I was more likely to catch the
second on TV. Much like Akira something eventually clicked as
I entered my twenties.
For whatever the movie lacked in
strong narrative, or decent production it more than made up with
heart. Bill and Ted were heroes in a time when heroes didn't need to
be smart or good at anything. Such was the brilliance on display in
their adventures. Where other movies will focus on the best and
brightest, this was a story of how humanity would one day be lead
into a golden age thanks to two good-hearted dimwits. It's a movie to
watch when you need reassurance that you don't need to be smart,
strong, or even sensible on your path through life. You just gotta
rock on and be excellent to each other.
And that was the first five years of
my life in film. Next time we'll move on to the 90's and a few really
unexpected favorites. Other than that I plan on having another post
up before the week is out. Until then I'd love to hear some of your
favorites. What was the best movie in the year you were born? Drop a
comment. It'll make ya feel good and maybe earn you a cookie.
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